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Stanier 4-6-2 Princess Coronation Class

The finest Pacific Class locomotive to run on Britain's railways?

The demands of maintaining the streamlined form of the Princess Coronation Class exceeded the cost savings to the LMS in coal and, in October 1945, the decision was taken to remove the streamlining. This process (defrocking as the fitters called it), began with 6235 'City of Birmingham' in April 1946 and because the smokeboxes were angled down between the chimney and door to accommodate the sweep of the streamlined casing, they retained this look once the casing was removed. Eventually the raked smokeboxes were replaced with conventional, round topped smokeboxes, so that by late 1958 the majority of the fleet showed a similar appearance, although all the defrocked locomotives had the split platform ‘utility’ front end.

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Class introduced 1938

Number in Class 38

Withdrawal of the class commenced in December 1962 and by October 1964 all thirty eight had been withdrawn. Fortunately, three locomotives were saved for preservation; 6229 'Duchess of Hamilton', 6233 'Duchess of Sutherland' and 6235 'City of Birmingham'.46235 'City of Birmingham' was built with streamlining at Crewe on June 27, 1939 under Lot No.150, the third batch of locomotives, entering traffic at Crewe North on July 1, 1939. The naming ceremony did not take place until March 20, 1945, the location being Birmingham New Street and 6235 was the first of the Coronation Pacifics to receive a 'city' name; a Coat of Arms being fitted above the nameplate.

'City of Birmingham' was the first of the class to be fitted with a double chimney and was also the first to have the streamlining removed, this taking place on April 24, 1946. The angled or 'semistreamlined' smokebox was replaced with a conventional smokebox in April 1952 and a year later, in April 1953, the locomotive received its British Railways Brunswick Green livery.

Withdrawn from service on December 12, 1963, 46235 'City of Birmingham' was prepared by British Railways for preservation and following storage at Nuneaton MPD, moved to the Birmingham Museum of Science and Industry in 1966, the museum being built around the locomotive. After closure of that museum, 'City of Birmingham' was moved to Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum in 1997 where it is currently exhibited in the 'Move It' gallery.